166 CAUSES, WAYS, AND MEANS, ETC. [BOOK VI., PART II.
teachings can give us an understanding as well as the Son of God ; for they may teach men the knowledge of the gospel if they are will- ing to learn, and have no darling lusts or vicious habits of mind to hinder them from learning. [2dly,] Seeing he hath taken this work on himself, and designs its accomplishment, cannot the Son of God by his grace remove those vicious habits of the minds of men, that they may have an understanding of these things? If he cannot, why doth he take that on him which he cannot effect? If he will not, why doth he promise to do that which can never be done without doing what he will not do? and why is he said to do (as he is, ac- cording to this interpretation of the words) that which he hath not done, which he will not or cannot do ? (2dly.) The giving of an understanding is in this place plainly distinguished from the pro- position of the things to be understood; this consists in the doc- trine of the gospel, that in an ability to comprehend and know it. (Sdly.) Again, the words here used, of giving understanding, may, in- deed, express the actings or operations of men towards others, when an external proposal of things to be understood, with the due use of means, is intended; but yet if under their teaching men do not learn or comprehend the things wherein they are instructed by them, they cannot properly be said to have given them an understanding of them, with respect unto their moral operation unto that end, but only to have endeavoured so to do. But when this phrase of speech is used to express a divine operation, which questionless may be really physical, and so absolutely efficacious, to interpret it concerning an endeavour that may or may not succeed is not suitable unto those thoughts that become us concerning divine operations. Nor was there any reason why the apostle should emphatically assign this work unto " the Son of God/' and that as he is " the true God and eternal life," if no more be intended but a work of the same nature and kind with what a man might do. And if this be the sense of the words, it is from ourselves, and not from the Son of God, that there is any truth in them, as unto the event : for he might do, it seems, what lies in him to give an understanding, and yet no one man in the world ever have an understanding of the nature designed ; for if it may be so with any unto whom he is said to give an understand- ing, as it is professedly with the most, it may be so with all. Not farther to debate these things at present, whereas so excellent a grace and mercy towards the souls of men is here expressly at- tributed unto the Son of God, as the author of it, — namely, that he gives us an understanding that we 'may know him which is true, — I cannot think that they interpret the Scripture unto his glory whose exposition of this place consists in nothing but endeavours to prove that indeed he doth not so do.
CHAP. IV.] SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION PROVED FROM SCRIPTURE. 167
[4.] It is expressed by teaching, leading, and guiding into the truth, John vi. 45, xvi. 13; 1 John ii. 20, 27; — the places have been opened before. And two things are supposed in this expression of teaching : — 1st. A mind capable of instruction, leading, and con- duct. The nature must be rational, and comprehensive of the means of instruction, which can be so taught. Wherefore, we do not only- grant herein the use of the rational faculties of the soul, but require their exercise and utmost improvement. If God teach, we are to learn, and we cannot learn but in the exercise of our minds. And it is in vain pretended that God's communication of a supernatural ability unto our minds, and our exercise of them in a way of duty, are inconsistent, whereas indeed they are inseparable in all that we are taught of God ; for at the same time that he infuseth a gracious ability into our minds, he proposeth the truth unto us whereon that ability is to be exercised. And if these things are inconsistent, the whole real efficacy of God in the souls of men must be denied ; which is to despoil him of his sovereignty. But we speak now of natural ability to receive instruction, to be taught, with the exercise of it in learning; for these are supposed in the expression of the communi- cation of a spiritual ability by teaching. 2dly. A teaching suited unto that ability is promised or asserted. Three ways of this teach- ing are pleaded: — (1st.) That it consists in a ^ioKvzvar/a, an imme- diate infallible inspiration and afflatus, of the same nature with that of the prophets and apostles of old. But, [1st.] This takes away the distinction between the extraordinary and ordinary gifts of the Spirit, so fully asserted in the Scripture, as we shall elsewhere declare ; and if it were so, God did not place in the church " some prophets," seeing all were so, and were always to be so. [2c%.] It brings in a neglect of the Scripture, and a levelling it unto the same state and condition with the conceptions of every one that will pre- tend unto this inspiration. [Sdly.] The pretence visibly confutes itself in the manifold mutual contradictions of them that pretend unto it; and would, [ithly.] thereon be a principle, first of confu- sion, then of infidelity, and so lead unto atheism. [5thly.] The prophets themselves had not the knowledge and understanding of the mind and will of God which we inquire after by their immediate inspirations, which were unto them as the written word unto us, but had it by the same means as we have, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11. Hence they so frequently and fervently prayed for understanding, as we have seen in the instance of David. Where- fore, (idly) Some say this teaching consists only in the outward preaching of the word, in the ministry of the church, and other ex- ternal means of its application unto our minds. But there is not one of the testimonies insisted on wherein this promised teaching of